Trotanoy 2011

Chateau Trotanoy 1982 A famous wine and very bitter sweet. One of the top rated 1982's Pomerols, indeed Bordeaux. A classic vintage and the one that Parker made his name in going hard early, while others were less convinced. Some of the cellar copped a dunking in the Brizzy floods but it could have been much worse (the good stuff is all off-site in professional, if occasionally damp, storage). From a box of these, a couple looked in need of drinking sooner than the others. One is planned for lunch tomorrow and then as I stood them for sediment, one had a cork slide gently in. What was truly extraordinary was that the capsule was so tight that it formed a perfect seal – which is encouraging for the rest. So there was only one choice. That bottle had to be sacrificed this evening while we prepared the Aussie Day selections. And when I say we, I mean me. Now, no use pretending that it is perfect. It is not, but I suspect that it is nothing to do with the floods, simply after three decades, some bottles are much better than others. Not perfect but still pretty darn good. Colour amazing, still deep and dark. And a seriously complex nose, dry hay, dry herbs, chocolate, Asian spices, coffee grinds, cigar box and more. Undoubtedly mature. Excellent length. The only drawback is that it is a smidge stretched on the finish. It is trying hard but on the precipice. This would would have fallen apart in fairly short time, one suspects. Hard to score because some good and bad. And probably a little unique? I look forward to trying a few more for a more complete picture.

- Ken Gargett

Dark, ruby red colour. Pronounced red fruit nose with violets. Medium-bodied palate is concentrated with vivid acidity and refined silky texture. Flavours shos ripe and even some jammy black fruit and black olives. Long and harmonious aftertaste.

- Juha Lihtonen / The Best Scandinavian Sommelier 2003

Rich in hue, flower, truffle, chocolate and a myriad of plum scents introduce the wine. Concentrated with layers of sensuous, fresh, pure, spicy plum and cherry flavors, there is a beautiful, refined, opulent and velvety textural quality to this elegant, sexy Pomerol. 93-95 Pts

- Jeff Leve / BWW2024 Finalist